Tobacco-stemming machine.



F. C. SCHOFIELD.

TOBACCO STEMMING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN-29.1914. RENEWED MAY 12, ms. 1,207,085.

Patented Dec. 5, 1916.

@QIQQIG UNITED STA OFFICE.

FREDERICK C. SCHOFIELD, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE TOBACCO STEMMING MACHINE COMPANY, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, A 003-.

PORATION OF DELAWARE.

TOBACCO-STEMMING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 5, 1916.

Application filed January 29, 1914, Serial No. 815,294. Renewed May 12, 1916. Serial No. 97,181.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK C. Sono- FIELD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Washington, District of Columbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tobacco-Stemming Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention is an improvement in that type of tobacco stemming machine which employs a card clothing as a covering for the stemming rolls and my invention concerns particularly clearing means for clearing the card teeth of. accumulations of parts of the leaves and of the stems.

The invention consists in the features and combination of parts hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side view of one .of the elements used in making up a complete clearing member. Fig. 2 is a similar view of a different form of clearing element. Figs. 3 and 4: are similar views of other forms of clearer elements.

Fig. 5 shows in section a pair of stripping or stemming rolls with the clearer rolls in proper relation thereto. Fig. 6 is a plan View of a portion of one of the clearer rolls of'Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a plan view of a part of a clear roll with the adjacent clearing elements arranged in diametrically opposite positions. Fig. 7 a is a side view of the roll of Fig. 7. Fig. 8 is a plan view of a portion of the roll of Fig. 3. Fig. 9 is a perspective View of a modified form of clearer roll.

In the drawings the stemming or stripping rolls are shown at Z), these being covered with card clothing, the teeth of which are of the bent form shown inclining in relation to the radii of the stripping rolls.

0 indicates the carrier chains for the grip bars 03, which bars grip the tobacco stems between them and draw the stems between the stripping rolls so that the teeth thereof will act on the blade of the leaf and strip the same from the stem, as indicated in Fig. 5.

The stripping rolls may be held substantially stationary or against rotation during the time that the stems are being drawn between them but after the leaf has collected in the bite of the rolls, the said rolls are given a rotary movement in the arrow direction so as to discharge the collected blade from the bite and cause it to fall into any suitable receptacle. The stripping teeth, it

In order to free the stripping rolls of any accumulations of pieces of the leaf or stem, I provide clearing "rolls of special construction. I am aware that clearing rolls have heretofore been used and that such rolls have been made up of card clothing, the teeth of which were designed to intermesh with the teeth of the card covered str pper rolls. Inmy invention I employ a serles of thin steel blades arranged along the r0ll shaft and these bladesmay be of yarious forms, for instance such as shown 1n Flgs. 1, 2, 3 or 4. The blades are formed of tempered steel approximately .005 inch thick so that they present great strength circumferentially or in the dircctiorr from Ato A, Fig. 1, whereas they are flexible and will readily bend laterally or in a direction parallel to the axis of the roll. It will be noticed that the elements have hexagonal openings, though other rectangular shapes may be used and these elements are strung upon a shaft having a similar cross sectional shape, in the present instance hexagonal, and various dispositions of the blades may be secured. For instance as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the blades may be arranged in groups of threes so that their points would occur circumferentially of the roll, as indicated by the numbers 1, 2, 3, 4:, 5 and 6, and

the relative disposition of these blades is indicated by similar numbers in Fig. 6. Between the groups of blades I arrange separators 6, these being formed of rubber so that a lateral yielding cushion is provided for the blades. It will be noticed from Fig. 1 that the blades are of a shape defined by one edge being radially disposed and exthe direction of the arrows constantly and this brings the eccentric edge f of the projecting finger into action in connection with the stripping teeth. A wiping action is thus secured and any particles of stems or leaves which may be lodged between the teeth of the stripping rolls will be dislodged and either discharged at once or will be loose to such an extent as to be discharged when the stripping rolls are given their quick rotary movement to discharge the leaf. The thinness of the clearing blades and their capacity to flex laterally is an important factor in my invention, as the blades will thus accommodate themselves to their proper operation in connection with their intermeshed position relative to the stripping teeth. The

stripping teeth may of course be irregularly disposed but with the projecting portions of the clearer blades laterally flexible, the said blades will workt their way through the spaces between the teeth even though these spaces are not in the same plane as'thc plane of revolution of the clearer blade. This capacity to bend laterally will also aid in dislodging the collected particles of tobacco.

Instead of having the blades arranged in groups of three with the yielding spacing rings in between the groups, I may, as shown in Fig. 7, arrange the blades in pairs and have the yielding spacing means in between the pairs, or as shown in Fig. 8, I may arrange the blades and yielding spacing means in alternation. The blade may be of the form shown in Fig. 5 for getting strength at the point. The yielding spacing disks will contribute to the same effect as is secured by the lateral flexibility of the blades, 2'. e. in accommodating themselves to irregular paths of travel of the ends of the blades in passing between the card teeth.

Instead of giving the clearer rolls a continuous rotary movement in one direction, an oscillating arrangement may be used, in which case the blades would be of the simple form shown in Fig. 1 and would be strung on the shaft as shown in Fig. 9 with their working points or arms all in the same direction. Any suitable means may be used to rock the roll as the arm 9 and link it, the said link being given a reciprocating movement by connection with a crank of suitable form. This will move the blade back and forth in the direction of the double arrow in Fig. 9, the up movement serving to loosen the accumulations and the downward movement aiding the rotary movement of the rolls to discharge the tobacco downwardly. The oscillations are through an angle of about 90. The gradual curve of the working edge of the blade when rotated continuously prevents the blade from picking up the tobacco and winding it around. The hexagonal openings permit the blades to be assembled in many different ways, as may be desired.

The distance between the adjacent blades is about to correspond substantially with the space between the card teeth. The blades intermesh with the card teeth about to s. The rolls may be readily renewed by taking off old blades and threading new blades on the hexagonal shaft.

Where in the above description and in the claims I refer to a stripping roll I use this term generically to include any equivalent stripping element.

I claim:

1. In combination in a tobacco stemming machine, card clothed stemming rolls, and clearer rolls consisting of a series of thin blades to enter between the card teeth, said blades being laterally flexible, substantially as described. 7

2. In combination in. a tobacco stemming machine, card clothed stemming rolls, and clearer rolls consisting of thin laterally flexible blades having portions entering between the card teeth, and yielding spacing means for the said blades arranged between said blades, substantially as described.

3. In combination in a tobacco stemming machine, card clothed stemming rolls, and clearer rolls consisting of a shaft, thin blades strung thereon and spacing washers interposed between the blades, substantially as described.

4. In combination in a tobacco stemming machine, card clothed stemming rolls, and

clearer rolls consisting of a shaft, thin blades strung thereon and spacing Washers interposed between the blades, said shaft having a plurality of seats to permit the blades to be faced in different directions, substantially as described.

5. In combination in a tobacco stemming machine, card clothed stemming rolls and clearer rolls comprising thin blades entering between the teeth of the card clothing, said blades having a bearing edge eccentric to the center of rotation, substantially as described.

6. In combination in a tobacco stemming machine, and clothed stemming rolls and clearer rolls comprising thin blades entering between the teeth of the card clothing, said blades having a bearing edge eccentric to the center of rotation, said roll rotating in a direction to present the low part of said eccentric edge in advance of the high part to thus secure a wiping eflect, substantially as described.

7. In combination a stripping roll having card teeth, means for moving a leaf past the roll, said roll having card teeth inclining from their inner to their outer ends in the direction of travel of the leaf and stem, and clearing means comprising thin laterally flexible blades to enter between the card teeth with means for rotating the blades, said bladeshaving bearing edges eccentric to the center of rotation and rotating in a direction to present their low points for action first and to wipe the card teeth from their inner to their outer ends, substantially as described.

8. In combination with a card clothed stemming roll, a clearer roll comprising a series of thin blades spaced apart to enter between the teeth of the card clothing, the said blades having points occupying different angular positions about the rolls, substantially as described.

9. In combination in a tobacco stemming machine, card clothed stemming rolls and clearer rolls consisting of a series of thin blades to enter between the card teeth, said blades being laterally flexible but rigid circumferentially, substantially as described.

10. In combination in a tobacco stemming machine, toothed stemming rolls and clearer rolls consisting of a series of thin blades to enter between the teeth of the stemming rolls, said thin blades being laterally flexible and each having a portion of its edge at greater distance from the center of rotation than other portions, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof, I afiix my signa- 80 ture in presence of two witnesses.

FREDERICK C. SCHOFIELD.

Witnesses:

S. L. BYERLY, KATE WURRESCHKE. 

